Night and Day
by GoddessOfNight08
Summary: A revision of 'Night and Day'. Summary: When Ace saves a girl from the Marines he takes care of her. What will happen when they fall far each other? What will end up happening in secret between the two? AceXOC Updates on Tuesdays and Fridays. DROPPED
1. it Has Begun!

**Chapter One**

**It Has Begun!**

**Authors Notes: **Hey guys, I've returned! I'm sorry for taking so long, but I didn't like the direction of which Night and Day was going. There were too many unanswered questions and plot holes, so I decided to do a revise. I'm gonna have a schedule to update on Thursdays and Tuesdays from now on, and I'm gonna be writing longer chapters. Sorry about that, but here ya go!

**I HAVE RE-EDITED THIS CHAPTER, SO THERE ARE SOME SLIGHT DIFFERENCES THAT CONTRIBUTE LATER, SO READ.**

* * *

**Rin**

* * *

I had been on this island for weeks; it was time to get going. The only problem was hitching a ride, which in itself was a dangerous task. I had to choose carefully; I didn't want another 'incident' where I end up hiding from rapists in the middle of the sea for a few days. _That _was annoying. So I was looking around on the docks, trying to find someone who looked satisfying and that was going on the same course I was.

There were plenty of ships, I just had to play it cool like usual and not reveal any extra info on me. One of the ships stood out; due to the fact of its _enormous _size. The thing was HUGE. I tried to stay away from it. Several men were loading crates and supplies onboard. There were plenty of odd ones; but one man- he could barely pass for 19 though- kept catching my eye as I looked around. I walked over to a small galleon where some men were loading supplies, and approached the one who seemed to be in charge.

"Excuse me, sir, may I ask what your course is?" I asked sweetly. The big man looked down to find me smiling up at him shyly. My left arm dangled down, fingers playing with the fringes of my black and red plaid skirt, and my right arm was across my chest, emphasizing my boob size, hand holding my upper left arm. This position almost always worked with men; they simply couldn't resist temptation. I had dressed just right; short black and red plaid skirt, and a white T-back shirt that said 'SOLO' in big black letters on the front. My long brown hair had been pulled into two pig tails, and my long front bangs framed my face.

He gave me a hard stare for a minute, before bluntly grunting "We don't take extra passengers." and he turned back to command his men.

I then walked away, trying to find someone else. I wasn't upset; not all men were stupid. There were others now looking at me; the teen I saw before was whispering to a guy with blonde hair and a black goatee. I could only catch small bits of info on their conversation from where I stood on the opposite dock; there was so much extra noise.

"She- _mumble mumble mumble-_ ride- _mumble mumble mumble- _Oyaji wouldn't mind-_ mumble mumble…._" it died off as I walked to the next guy.

"Excuse me, you mind telling me what your destination is?" I asked politely, assuming the same position as before. He looked at me, and his eyes traveled downward, before quickly coming back up to my face.

"Sorry miss, we can't take extras." he apologized nervously.

I waved it off. "Well, that's quite alright. Thanks for your time though!" I laughed and walked back towards the middle.

_Damn. This is going to take a while._

I heard more footsteps, which I ignored at first because there was so much noise, but then I heard an all too familiar voice.

"You're not afraid to show yourself in public, are you?" Smoker drawled, and I heard him chomp on a cigar. There was the click of loading guns.

I sighed, and turned around, adjusting my backpack, and glared at him.

"Smokey-chan, why do you keep following me?" I teased, putting my hands on my hips.

He simply gave me a hard stare.

"You're a stalker!" I pouted, but I was ready for anything. The two rows of Marines behind him had all their guns trained on me, and everyone around had stopped their business to watch the event.

"I'll let you come on my ship- to prison, that is." he offered, and smoothed back his silver hair.

"No thanks, it's probably no fun there." I declined and shrugged.

"It's not an option; it's what's going to happen." He got into a stance, and I pulled my body back lightly.

"Wulf D. Rin, in the name of the World Government, I, Captain Smoker, am placing you under arrest for becoming a pirate." he stated.

I tilted my face down, and they probably couldn't see my eyes; just the creepy smile I had on my face. A small part of my mind noted that the teen who had been watching me before was closer than he had been before.

"Well, technically speaking, that's if you _can _catch me, Smoker." I told him, and suddenly, smoke flew at me. My grin grew wider.

"_Shisseki_," I murmured, and disappeared, only to suddenly be standing behind Smoker, much to the surprise of everyone present, except for Smokey of course.

I finally lifted my face, and judging by the gasps of the Marines standing near me, my eyes had probably become slits already. I could feel my canines having grown slightly sharper. Blood started pounding in my head. The bloodlust rose, and I could feel the instinct to hunt down every last one of them.

I had half a mind to go ahead and do it; but I didn't want to kill innocent people.

"You didn't _honestly _believe that that old trick would work on me, did you?" I jeered. Smoker still hadn't turned around yet.

"No, I actually didn't. I was just getting you going though; you're much more fun to mess with when you've changed." he grunted. I frowned at this, knowing what he was talking about.

Tashigi broke the current silence; she rushed forward with her sword drawn, trying to cut me.

"You fool!" Smoker snarled when he realized her move.

I smiled again. When she got near and swung, I swiftly dodged by a centimeter, and proceeded to kick her in the stomach, effectively sending her down.

Another now fired at me, and it would have been a head shot if I hadn't seen it coming in my peripheral vision and just moved.

"They asked for it." I snarled at Smoker, and suddenly hurled myself onto offensive without thought.

Blood flew, screams were heard, bodies fell, and after a minute, I stood behind the Marines, farther up on the dock. Only about half remained standing.

I could tell Smoker was pissed; his face showed it plainly.

"_Ookami Onna no Rin! You're under arrest!" _he yelled, and threw his smoke way too fast. Even for _me._ I couldn't dodge in time; it surrounded me.

The next thing I knew, I couldn't see, and after a second; I realized that I couldn't breathe.

It was all white; my lungs were beginning to burn desperately. I felt something burning the inside of my throat, and flew into a loud coughing fit –which didn't help.

_That bastard is filling my lungs with _smoke.

He was damn serious.

_This can't be the end; it can't be! I- I have… have to… to…_

Everything was fading… the white was growing dark… but then… there was a bright light that blinded me…

* * *

**Ace**

* * *

Everyone watched the fight without a word, but Ace was surprised to find that the girl who looked like she couldn't handle much turned out to be a pirate.

_Ookami Onna no Rin…_

Her name was slightly familiar; there had been an article about her and how she was wanted for murder and theft. Ace had thought it odd that the Marine called her a pirate, when she was looking for a ride somewhere. He guessed that she was one of those lone pirates; no crew, no ship, just a solo life of pirating.

No one interrupted, but almost everyone had loudly gasped when she disappeared, then reappeared behind the Marine captain, and suddenly taking down half of them.

Ace couldn't put his finger on it; there was something about her –besides the rocking body she was trying to use to her advantage- a certain charm, something about her, something he liked when he saw it in her eyes when they made eye contact.

On impulse, when hearing her coughing inside the smoke, Ace attacked with fire. He ran forward –and could have sworn hearing Thatch curse behind him- he used his flame powers to part the smoke.

The girl was on the ground, unmoving- he scooped her body up, and ran off, down the docks.

There were yells behind him, the Marine was pissed, his crewmates cursed at his recklessness, and the spectators where just whispering. They stepped aside as he ran up the dock towards the shore.

Running into the village, and down the main street without stopping, he made it to the forest on the island. He didn't stop until he was sure that the Marines couldn't come after him.

Ace finally stopped in his flight with the unconscious girl and laid her down by a tree.

She wasn't in great condition.

The teenage girl who fit so easily in his arms -this complete stranger for whom he felt an unbelievable desire to protect- she was barely breathing. The breaths that she did take were sharp and quick, more like gasps, and her eyes were scrunched tight.

Ace didn't know much medically, but he figured that she needed fresh oxygen in her lungs. He fixed her body position, and drew in a deep breath, and pressing his lips to hers, blew the air in. Ace didn't do compressions- this was the need for air- but slowly kept breathing fresh air into her, hoping that at least her breathing would even out before he got her to the nurses on the ship.

After what seemed to be hours –only minutes really- she seemed to start breathing by herself, however, it still seemed harsh. She still needed help.

"Oi, you know how much of a ass you are, right? Leaving us to deal with problems that you make worse, when they don't even involve you." Marco's monotone voice came to him. Ace turned his head to find the older man standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Marco, she needs-"Ace began before Marco cut her off.

"The nurses already have a bed for her ready; we just need to hurry and get her there." Marco told him.

"Good." Ace mumbled and picked up the girl again.

Marco's eyebrows furrowed when he heard her breathing.

"We should hurry." he told the younger commander.

Ace nodded in agreement, they both took off at a fast pace towards the docks again. The Marines were gone, and the crowd seemed to make way for the group.

Ace and Marco easily jumped onto the Moby Dick where the head nurse -Asa- was waiting for them.

"Good, you're here; come on, get her downstairs." Asa commanded and Ace followed her quickly behind. As they reached the room, she entered, and mentioned for Ace to set the girl down on the bed gently.

The four nurses in the room set to work immediately; Asa mentioned for him to leave, and Ace was so confused that he was almost eager to get away from this girl.

As he quietly stepped back out, he leaned against the wall, and covered his eyes with his hand.

_What the hell was that?_ He questioned, wondering what the urgent sensation he had felt, that he immediately jumped to her rescue.

Ace didn't even know her; she was just a lone pirate that he felt the need to protect.

He was so lost in thought, that Ace didn't even realize he wasn't alone until Thatch punched him.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Ace yelled, holding his aching jaw.

"_That _was for getting us into a mess over one girl! A girl that you don't even _know_!" Thatch yelled back.

Marco and Jozu appeared from behind him, Marco looking bored and Jozu –as always- serious.

"Ace, you're stupid sometimes. She has nothing to do with you; so why…?" Marco trailed off, shaking his head. "Oyaji gave order to set sail; we're leaving." he told the young commander.

"Fine, but what are you so _pissed _about? It's not like it was hard for you guys to take care of it; she did half the work herself!" Ace tried to justify his answer.

"Whenever she wakes up, Oyaji wants to speak with her. I suppose your gonna be watching after her for now; she's your responsibility." Marco ignored him, and walked away, with Jozu following.

Thatch was last.

"No, they weren't hard to take care of; it's just that you need to start thinking things through before you act." he lectured and left, leaving Ace alone again.

The 19 year-old sat there for a few minutes, before Asa and a few of the other nurses came out to find him sitting there.

"She's going to be fine; she just needs rest and keep using the mask for a few hours." Asa informed him.

"Thanks, you guys," Ace stood up and smiled, before correcting himself, "I mean girls," he said and took off, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walked to his room.

When he got there, he took off his belt and dagger, and pulled off his boots and hat and fell onto the bed. Ace promptly fell asleep, drifting off into dim questions.

* * *

**Rin**

* * *

The first thing that let me know I was awake was the burning in my lungs. Death could not be that painful. Then was the sound of gas, and I felt a sort of object on my face. I also felt the rocking of waves, which either meant two things.

Someone kidnapped me.

Smoker had captured me after all.

But I was defiantly sure that I was on a ship. I opened my eyes, and they quickly adjusted to the dimness in the room; it was almost dark outside the porthole. I tried to figure out what was on my face; as I pulled it off, a barely recognized the shape of a plastic medical mask used to supply oxygen. A venturi mask or something like that. I got up out of the bed, popping all my joints and stretching, and I cautiously stepped out of the room. There was nobody out in the hallway; but I could hear plenty of noise from somewhere above me.

I followed the scent of food upwards, towards the noise as well. I walked out onto the top deck, only to find what appeared as a party, with a lot of people talking and eating. Hardly anyone looked my way-which was good- and I looked around.

Suddenly, there was a guy with blonde hair-who looked bored- standing next to me. This scared the crap out of me, and my hand immediately reached for the knife I kept under my skirt. I was mortified when it didn't turn up, or rather; it had been taken from me.

"Looking for this?" the man questioned, and held up the strap that I wore around my thigh to keep the knife in place. I glared at him, but was in fight-or-flight mode. He waved over to three guys-one whom I recognized as the teen from earlier- and they came over.

"Let's have a chat." the blonde-pineapple shaped hair gestured to where I had just come from. I stared at him, listening to his heartbeat as source of a lie, but it was calm. So either he was really good, or telling the truth.

Back inside, we stood there just staring at each other.

I looked at their faces; there was the teen that couldn't have been older than me, the guy with blonde hair and black goatee, and another man who was very tall, and looked serious.

"We're not going to hurt you," the pineapple-haired guy quickly said with a disarming smile, but I kept my guard up.

"Alright then, where are we, and why am I here?": and then added, "When can I get my knife back?" I didn't bother to beat around the bush like usual; I was serious now.

"Quick to get to the point huh?" the other blonde haired man chuckled.

"You're on the Moby Dick, and this is Whitebeard's crew." the teen answered, turning around and pointing at the Jolly Roger tattoo on his back.

No way.

Whitebeard?

I'm too young to die!

"W-where are we going?" I asked, trying to keep myself calm.

"That doesn't matter right now; Oyaji wants to talk to you. Come on. Oh, and you can your knife as soon as we know you won't stab us with it." they all started walking back down, not even bothering to make sure I followed.

I didn't want to go, but after calming down and looking at my current situation, it came out as this:

I was stuck on one of the Yonkou's ship, in the middle of the Grand Line, and so far nobody was trying to kill me.

I shrugged and shortly followed.

* * *

**Chapters End Notes: **Well, there ya go! Hope you liked it! this is the version of N&D that will be continued, so I hope you like it! My reason for a rewrite was because when I reread N&D I found there to be too many plot holes and unanswered questions, and I didn't like how it was turning out. So this is gonna be it. Well, see you guys next Tuesday! ~GoddessOfNight08


	2. Meeting with the Father

****

A Meeting with the Father

**Authors Notes:**Here's the second chapter! I've started getting ahead of myself, and so far, I like the new direction! _**HOWEVER**_! I would like a Beta-Reader! So if I could get someone to help a failure like me, it would be awesome! Well, anyways, here ya go! Rin meets Whitebeard!

**DISCLAIMER: **Nope! I still don't own anything!

* * *

Rin

* * *

When they told me that Whitebeard wanted to speak with me, least to say, I got nervous. I mean, he's practically the strongest man in the world! But I was stuck on his ship for God knows how long. The least I could do was put on a brave face and try to be polite.

When meeting the large man, the mask almost fell away.

I wasn't usually like this, but I wasn't an idiot. The strongest man in the world sat before me, and if I made one wrong move I most likely wouldn't last more than a second.

"Who are you, gaki?" he asked, taking a drink from a whole barrel of rum, I supposed. It smelled like it.

I bowed my head, and smiled a little.

"My name is Wulf D. Rin, Mr. Whitebeard." I told him truthfully. Right now I didn't feel the need to lie about much.

He gave laugh, and I looked back up.

"Mr. Whitebeard, eh? That's odd. You're an odd little brat." he stated, and I felt my cheeks turning slightly red. "For now, you are on my ship. So you are at my mercy. I've heard about you, brat." he said, and I looked straight into his eyes, giving him a certain look.

"Is that so, Mr. Whitebeard? What exactly have you heard about me? I don't keep up with the newspaper much." I asked, crossing my arms. I had learned the other men's names when they entered the room.

Ace, Marco, Thatch, and Jozu remained silent during our conversation.

"They say that you're sly as a fox and cunning as a cat. You're wanted for murder and thievery, and you are a lone pirate who has no crew that she belongs to. So, just as warning, if you are the cause of any form of harm to any of my sons, you will face my wrath." he told me, looking very serious. This statement caught me off guard, and he noticed it, raising an eyebrow.

"Why, Mr. Whitebeard, what would cause you to believe that I had any intention of causing harm to any person aboard this ship? Apparently, I owe _somebody_ my life." I told him, giving him a slight smile.

"Which would be this asshole," Thatch grumbled, and I looked to see him pointing at Ace.

Ace kicked him in the head. "Shut the hell up, Thatch!"

"Oh, Mr. Portgas, I already knew it was you." I said airily, giving him a smile. He looked at me, with a 'huh?' look on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that must have been a confusing answer. I wasn't told by anybody though." I stated, holding my hands behind my back.

"Then how did you-" Thatch began, before I interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't simply give away information like that; it didn't turn so well for me last time." I shook my head at him. "T_hat _was a very annoying couple of days." I sighed. "Anyway, I thank you for your hospitality Mr. Whitebeard, and you have my word that I will not harm any of your children, so long as they do not attack first, because, I can't always guarantee what will come out of my mouth. You know adolescence. It's quite an annoying time for those around us." I said. "I will have to depart upon reaching the next island, if it goes against my own course; I have to meet up with someone." I added the last part rather bitterly.

"Who would that be?" Ace asked.

"A man." I dead panned, knowing that this was not the answer he wanted to hear.

Marco, Ace, and Thatch sweat dropped; probably wondering just how stupid I was.

"Oh, thanks, that narrows it down, to about… HALF THE WORLDS POPULATION!" he yelled.

I winced at his loudness, and cursed when my hand twitched as an automatic response to cover my sensitive ears.

"What's wrong, don't like loud noises?" Marco asked.

I mentally face palmed myself for having made such a small mistake.

I waved at him breezily. "Not particularly, my ears are rather sensitive." I told him, having no other option once he noticed the tiny slip up.

"That could explain it, Ace." Thatch snapped his fingers.

"Explain what?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Earlier, when we saw you on the docks, I could've sworn that I felt like you heard our conversation." Ace told me.

"Oh yes, I was only able to hear some of it; I was standing on the other side of the docks, and there was plenty of interference noise," I pointed out.

"What kind of a Devil's Fruit did you eat, brat?" Whitebeard asked me from behind. I felt the calm mask nearly slip away, and a wild temper flared for a second.

I cursed as I saw that the men I had been facing saw my moment of falter; they realized what I might have been hiding.

"It's very smart of you to realize that so soon, Mr. Whitebeard. Last time it took till their deaths for them to realize what kind of a monster I am." I turned to him and gave him a sly smile. "But, I have given you my solemn word that I will not harm any of your children should they not attack me first." I bowed my head again, and he laughed.

"You really are a weird little brat! Gurararara!" he gave a booming laugh. "Well, you're welcome here. Ace, show her to a room with the nurses." he ordered, and I thanked him with a smile, looking at Ace expectantly.

He shrugged, and started walking from the room, and I followed.

As we got outside, it was quiet, with no sounds to entertain me, so I decided to start conversation.

"Thank you for saving me." I whispered, and he looked at me.

"It was nothing. I was just doing what I felt what was right." he said, looking back down at the ground.

"Smoker's such a meanie! " I slammed my fist onto my palm, "I'll have to bug him twice as much next time!"

Ace laughed, and gave me a weird look.

"You're stupid, do you know that?" he teased, and I elbowed him lightly. "Well, come on, I saw the whole thing. All you did was tease him. Then, well…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

"I lost it." I I mumbled. "I could say it was an accident, but that statement would only be half true." I told him, and he gave me a 'huh?' look again.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, as we continued to make our way up the hallways.

"Well, they did attack first. I suppose you didn't hear, but after Smoker's first attack, I told him that such an old attack would never work on me, and he replied with 'I know, I was just getting you going.'" I informed Ace. "He was edging me on. The nature of my Devil's Fruit is rather violent; sometimes it doesn't take much for me to go over the edge. And apparently today was one of those days."

"What is your Devil Fruit? I saw your face when Pops asked you about it." Ace noted.

"Yeah, I got pissed for a second. See, I usually have to hitch rides in order to get around, and most times, men try to take advantage of us girls. Especially a girl like me walking around by herself. So I'm always very careful about the information about myself. I can often keep my powers secret until I need them." I told him. "Well, I always follow instincts, and I get the feeling that I might end up sticking around with you guys for a while." I smirked.

* * *

**Chapters end Notes: **Well, so far I'm keeping up with schedule! So... tell me what you thought!

Was it good?  
Was it bad?  
Do you want to pay me a $1000?  
Do you want to strangle me?  
Anything you have to say, good or bad, please leave a review and give me some constructive critisism!  
Please and thank you, Kami-chan 3


	3. NightWatch Duty

**Night-Watch Duty**

**Author's Notes: **Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, I got sick, like really sick. I'm also making a new update schedule because I need extra time to make chapters, so for my other stories you can look at the bottom of my profile page but I'll give you the new update schedule here. From now on, Night & Day will updating on Tuesdays and Fridays.

* * *

**Ace**

"What is your Devil's Fruit anyways?" I questioned out of curiosity, as we continued walking at a somewhat slow pace.

"Well, I feel as though we're going to be together a bit longer than planned, so I find no reason to keep that many secrets." she shrugged, and I felt some relief. "It's a Carnivorous Zoan-type. It gives me higher sense of smell and hearing in human form, and as you can probably guess, those get better in my hybrid and full animal forms. Higher stamina sometimes, and there's always speed, and healing." she counted off with her fingers, and I took a better look at her.

She had a cat-like gait, and was walking calmly, but I had the feeling that she wasn't completely trusting yet. She wasn't _short, _per say, but she wasn't quite as tall as me. She had long legs, and a curvaceous body. I had seen and dated plenty of girls myself, but this one piqued my interest for some reason. Perhaps it _was _her figure, or maybe the lilt in her voice, or her soundless footsteps, but she rather appealed to me in a fascinating way.

She kept talking, and with each word, I felt closer.

"Hey!" her voice penetrated my thoughts, and I looked at her face. She was frowning, and had her hands on her hips.

"Oh, sorry," I mumbled, scratching the back of my head.

"You're heartbeat is really uneven. Focus on breathing some more." she commanded, and I took in a deep breath. After a second, she nodded.

"That's better. Anyways, I was suggesting that we have a proper introduction." she looked at me, and I felt as though she had a clear idea of my thoughts.

"Oh, right." I cleared my throat, and looked at her. "My name is Portgas D. Ace. May I ask you of your name, miss?" I asked politely.

* * *

**Rin**

* * *

His breathing was even and his heartbeat was becoming slightly erratic. His eyes kept wandering up and down my body, most likely not hearing a word I said. I recognized this in men; and it didn't bode well for us women.

I resisted the urge to snap at him-it was possible that I was wrong- so I swallowed my anger, and regained his attention.

"As I was _saying,_" I hissed, "we should have a proper introduction." I repeated, and he looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Right. My name is Portgas D. Ace. May I ask you of your name, miss?" he asked politely, and I was shocked.

A pirate with _manners?_ How odd.

"Well, thank you," I stammered, getting over the moment of shock, "my name is Wulf D. Rin." I gave him a polite smile, and I held out my hand. Ace took it, and we shook.

"So, Portgas, would it be alright with you if I went to eat? I'm hungry." I asked, still keeping a safe distance.

Ace finally realized what I asked of him, and stopped staring. _Again._

"Oh, yeah, of course." he said, and walked faster. I fell into step behind him, and we came closer to the different scents. My stomach growled slightly when the delicious scent of meat played before my nostrils, and I kept from drooling.

Ace opened a door in front of him, and the noise that had been somewhat dim before increased to almost agonizing volumes.

"Here we are," he said, and turned to smile at me. I politely returned it, before gently pushing past him, and stepping into the drunken party.

"Hey, Ace is back!" someone cried, and about half the crowd turned our way.

Several guys approached towards me, with odd looks in their eyes, so, in order to avoid any form of… _complications,_ I briskly turned away, and headed for the food tables.

With the ships size, the deck was large, and apparently held plenty of people. There were drunken pirates celebrating everywhere, and I quickly lost the scent of my path in the smells of alcohol. There was so much of it; I felt my head starting to get a little fuzzy. It burned the inside of nose, and though I loved to drink, right now wasn't a good time to get wasted. There were only a few women in the crowd of men, and none of them noticed me. Stupid whispers could be heard as I walked by, and I focused on other things to keep from listening.

Finally finding the food, I grabbed a plate, and selected what appealed to my eyes and nose. I carefully selected some kind of chop-chop chicken over fried rice, and then poured a yellow curry sauce over it. Looking for a place to sit and eat, I noticed a large man at the table next to me. He was stuffing pie into his mouth, and there was an enormous amount.

He had curly black hair, and a short scruffy beard. He was tall, oh so very very tall, and fat, but there was plenty of muscle definition. For some odd reason, I felt uneasy around this man, so I walked off, looking for somewhere to sit.

"Hey, sweetheart," someone crooned from behind me, and I swallowed disgust, turning to glare at a few men, looking at me with interest.

"Can I help you with something?" I growled, and they took a step back under my glare.

One of them, a bit taller than me, black hair, and a very drunk expression, regained his nerve.

"Enjoying the party? I know a way it can get better…" he approached, reaching out for me. They were all shocked when I disappeared from their sights.

"Stupid men," I grumbled, looking down at the party from up on the mast. I fixed my position, so my skirt wouldn't blow up in the wind. My legs dangled off the yard of the mast (A/N: The wood part that is horizontal to the mast) and my hair blew in all directions, and I thanked Kami-sama that I had cut it two days ago.

I quietly ate, looking down at the party-which was more of a mob at this point- and looked to see if I could start noting faces. I found Ace after a minute, and then later saw Thatch and Marco. I didn't see anybody else, and once I finished eating, I decided to wait, as there was not opening to land without falling on top of somebody. I heard a nearby yawn, and looked at the crow's nest.

I carefully got up, and walked across the yard until I could peer inside.

Apparently, the person stuck with night-duty was _very _tired or dead. She was dressed like a geisha, with white face make up, and a light pink kimono. And she was asleep. Having nothing better to do, I reached over the side and poked her on the forehead. Repeatedly.

Finally about the fifteenth poke (which were now jabs) her eyes fluttered open, only half awake.

"Hey," I said, trying to get her to wake up.

"Hey…" she mumbled, and turned on her side. I rolled my eyes, and hopped over the side, into the crow's nest. I shook her shoulder, and finally, she turned to look at me, though I still wasn't sure she was completely awake.

"Hey!" I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes, "Wake up!" I spoke louder, and her eyelids fluttered, before she realized I was trying to get her up.

"Oh, sorry!" she mumbled, and sat up, rubbing her eyes furiously.

"You look tired," I noted, and she finally looked at me with full consciousness.

"I am. But that doesn't mean I can fall asleep! I have to stay on the- night… watch…" she slowed down, and yawned again.

"Hey! Don't fall asleep again!" I snapped, and this time, she made a move to stand up, before I helped her.

"Oops. My bad." she grumbled. She looked ready to fall asleep again, but she eyed me, as if trying to remember who I was. "Do I know you…?"

"Nope. I'm new around here." I gave her a smile, and held out a hand. "The name's Rin." she took it, and we shook.

"Well, nice to meet you, Rin-chan. Thanks for waking me up, they'd have murdered me if one of them found me asleep." she looked at me again.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't tell," I promised, and she calmed down.

"I'm Izou, by the way." she told me.

"Nice to meet you too, Izou-san!" I smiled again. "Izou-san, you look really tired. Do you want me to take watch?" I asked politely, having nothing better to do.

She studied me for a minute, and then asked, "Have you been drinking?"

"Nope, I'm sober as can be." I told her seriously.

"Tired at all?"

"Not really."

"You know what to do, right?"

"I watch out for any possible threats, Marines, Seakings, other ships, and anything else approaching. I've done night-duty before, Izou-san." I rolled my eyes at her, and she gave me a sarcastic smile.

"You sure you wanna babysit a bunch of drunk guys? I can stay with you." she said, and I pushed her a little towards the ladder.

"It's alright. Go get some sleep. And don't pass out on your way down!" I called as she was heading down, and heard her laugh.

"I'll try!" she said, and I sat down, and began my first night-watch shift on the Moby Dick.

….

I was still staring at the approaching sunrise when the first sounds of waking drunkards reached my ears. I heard a nasty sloshing sounds, and retching.

_Ahh, the sound of hangover, _I thought sarcastically, and peered over the side to find Thatch throwing up over the side of the railing. After a minute, he tumbled back down, and didn't move, just panting.

I rolled my eyes, and thanked Kami-sama that I wasn't down there to smell it. Fatigue still hadn't hit me, seeing as though the party somehow reached into the early hours of the morning, even though more than half the party-goers dropped at around 1 A.M.

There was a huge amount of unconscious bodies below me, I mean; men had just passed out _everywhere. _As I observed them, I noticed that there were no women. I supposed they were smart enough to head to bed.

Once the sun started rising, a few stumbled into consciousness, covering their eyes and groaning, some throwing up, some turning onto their sides, and others trying to get back up. I almost heard an entire chorus of 'Aw shit, my head hurts,' and I bit back the urge to make a smart-ass comment about it.

I sighed, and continued to wait for someone who was either sober or able to take up my position so I could go change. About half an hour later twenty of them seemed lucid, but still nursing their heads, and grumbling to each other. I noticed someone standing up, and recognized it as Ace. He seemed pretty okay when he started walking, and I decided to give him a minute before he came back up. That's when he fell flat on his face.

It startled me, and I jumped down, safely landing, and cautiously stepping over bodies to where he had passed out again. I crouched down by him, and looked over, trying to find the reason for his collapse. Everything seemed okay, but he was snoring.

"What the-" I started before some nearby turned to look at me, and I recognized him as Marco.

"Don't worry. He does that a lot." Marco grumbled, and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head and stomach.

I stood back up, and eyed him carefully, listening for abnormalities.

"What?" he asked.

"You feel like you're gonna throw up?" I demanded, raising an eyebrow. "Thatch's already relieved himself." I commented, pointing towards said commander.

Marco chuckled, and looked around.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. What about you? You seem alright." he noted.

"yeah, maybe that's cause I didn't drink. But just the scent of so much alcohol made my head spin." I commented.

"You didn't? Then what did you do?" he asked. "It must be really early. What are you doing up?"

"Oh, I didn't sleep either. I slept too much during the day, so I took night-watch duty." I smiled, and I decided that I would wait until tonight to sleep.

"Night-watch duty? But… it was Izou's turn to do that."

"Yeah, but I relieved her. She was tired and I had nothing better to do. Like I said, I slept the day away. And I didn't do much to burn energy last night, so I could probably stay awake for another day or two without much trouble, if I don't do anything too stamina-draining." I informed him.

Marco raised an eyebrow at me, asking what I meant.

"Devil's Fruit," I simply said, and stood back up straight. "Is it okay if I go change? And take a shower?" I asked politely.

He nodded. "Sorry about making you wait, and thanks for waiting for us to wake up."

"Sure thing."

* * *

**Chapter's End Notes: **Well, there. See you on Friday! Also, R&R!


	4. It's MY Life

**It's MY Life**

**Author's notes: **Hey guys, I know it's been a LONG time, but I've been having trouble lately. Highschool is buggin the shit outta me, I've had a relationship problem, and then when I wanted to update there was some system error on here. Go figure. But I'll keep it coming, and no matter what, I WILL NOT QUIT!

**Disclaimer: **Yadda yadda, I don't own One Piece.

* * *

Rin

* * *

Once I was back inside, I was left to my thoughts again. I wandered, following my path from last night, and once I picked out my own path from the one I had shared with Ace, I turned a corner and found myself in a familiar hallway. I could hear light snores coming from behind the doors and this hallway _reeked _of perfume.

Reaching for the second door on the right I turned the door knob and opened it.

The room was simple; not elegant or fancy, but still nice. There was a comfy-looking bed and a dresser, and a window that faced east and filled the room with sunlight. I was happy to see my shoulder bag sitting on the floor, glad that someone had saved it for me. I picked it up and set it down on the bed, shuffling through the bag, making sure all was there. I found that nothing was missing, so I picked out an outfit, my usual bikini top and short shorts. I decided to stay on the safe side and grabbed my black leather half jacket. I hooked my strappy, high-heeled wedge sandals, and finally, my toiletries, then walked back outside and looked around. I heard the sound of running water, and followed it further down the corridor until I found a door that read 'NO BOYS ALLOWED' and smelled soap; I assumed it was the bathroom.

Knocking lightly the talking quieted down and someone carefully opened the door a crack. A girls' face peered out with her eyes narrowed. When she realized that I wasn't a guy, she opened it more, and I noted that all she had around her body was a towel.

"Sorry, but I need to bathe." I smiled, and she let me in.

"Right, sorry about that! We've had to be careful ever since the boys walked in on us." she explained, and I nodded. "Oh, right, my name's Asa. What's yours?" Asa asked politely.

"My name's Rin. It's nice to meet you, Asa-san," I smiled.

"Oh, just call me Asa. By the way, you're looking much better than you did yesterday, trust me, I was the nurse." she patted me on my shoulder. "How do you feel now? Your throat probably stills stings a bit, doesn't it?"

"Not really, but thank you so much for helping me. I thought it was the end of me for a minute there." I laughed.

"Yeah, I suppose you're lucky that Ace-san saved you when he did. Your lungs couldn't have taken much more of the carbon dioxide. I was really surprised when Marco told me that he had given you CPR. I didn't know that he knew anything medical wise." she put a finger on her chin. I looked at the bathroom. It was steamy and smelled nice. The tile floor was cool. There were showers and benches, and a small bathing pool. There were sinks to one side and the opposite wall had full length mirrors.

Asa and I were the only ones in there, seeing as though it was pretty early.

"I know, the others don't get up for a while longer. It's kind of tiring though, taking care of all these hotheads, and Oyaji, or fighting with the Marines or anybody else… like I said, tiring."

I nodded, and placed my things on the sink counter. I reached for a fluffy white towel, and began to undress. Asa walked over to the bath and eased in, giving me a minute. After I pulled off my tank top, I heard a low sigh.

"It's not fair…" Asa whined. I looked at her, and she looked _depressed._

"What's not fair?" I asked, and continued to take off my clothes.

"Sorry, it's just… you're so… developed, and I'm so… _flat._" she mumbled, and I looked back at her. While it was somewhat true, I disagreed.

"That's not true. First of all, I don't find my figure to be that great all the time. Really quite… _inconvenient _sometimes. You know guys... always messing with me. You're perfect, and I'm a bit jealous actually." I shrugged, and she burst into laughter. "What?"

"N-nothing," she snorted, wiping a tear from her eye. "Just thinking that _you _are jealous of _me_ about this… weird!" she sighed. "You gonna take a shower or a bath?"

"Shower. I wanna get back upstairs in a bit." I replied, and walked over to one of the showers and stepped in, closing the translucent curtain behind me. I heard a content sigh from Asa. I turned the knob and water sprayed out of the shower head. It was cold.

Goosebumps raised on my arms at the cold water, but it felt good. After an entire night of inhaling alcohol, my head felt fuzzy and feverish. In a matter of minutes, I was really shivering, and the cold became a bit uncomfortable. I turned the knob a little and the water started warming up.

I grabbed a washcloth and a soap bar, and began scrubbing my body down furiously, removing all dirt and the smell of smoke. Once I was satisfied, I began to wash my hair. I kept turning the knob down, and the water got hotter and hotter.

"Hey, you almost done? I'm about to get out before the other nurses start getting up." Asa asked and I reached and turned the water off.

"Yeah, I'm getting out." I sighed, and shook my hair like a dog. I stepped out carefully, and saw Asa doing the same thing, both of us dripping wet. She smiled at me, and walked to the towel rack. I grabbed my towel off the counter, and began drying myself.

Suddenly very alert, I heard deep chuckles outside the door to the bathroom. I waved my hand, and caught her attention, nodding towards the door, and she scowled.

"Hide," I mouthed, and quickly began pulling on my clothes. She took my advice and began changing around the corner.

I tip toed to the door fully dressed, and listened carefully.

"_Okay guys, this is it. Ready?"_

"_Sure!"_

"_How many do you think are in there?"_

"_Probably enough!"_

"_Alright… one… two… thr-!" _

I tossed the door open, and it slammed into someone's face.

"You guys. Are. Disgusting. Assholes." I snarled at the group of them, and crossed my arms when I recognized Ace and Thatch.

"No! It's not like that! We just got lost!" Thatch held his hands in front of him.

"Are you sure that's the truth? Because, Mr. Thatch, if you're lying to me, you're dead meat." I whispered darkly, leaning down and getting in his face.

"T-t-that's th-the truth…" Thatch muttered, but shrank back against my glare.

"We're not lying!" Ace exclaimed, and flinched when I glared at him.

"I'm not stupid, in case you had any doubts. I'm tired, and my fuse is short. Do you _really _want to bother me right now?" I demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"N-n-no…" they all muttered, with fear flittering around on their faces.

"Good." I growled, and walked away. "Hey, Asa, you can come out now!" I called over my shoulder, and said blonde skipped to my side.

For a second, she looked back at the boys and a mischievous smile played on her face. Asa cupped her hands around her mouthed and yelled, "Hey, girls! Come and see how the perverts got scared by Rin!" she screeched, and to my pleasure, almost half of the doors in the hallway opened up. Nurses, women, all in pajamas began laughing at the mortified men. One even brought a camera and shot some pictures.

I left Asa laughing with some of them, and headed back upstairs. Along the way, I passed Marco walking out of a room, clean and dressed. He smiled and bowed his head lightly, and said very gentlemanly-like, "Good morning, miss. May I walk you to the mess hall for breakfast?" he asked politely, and I smiled.

"Of course, good sir," I played with courtesy, and followed into step next to him.

"What do you think of things so far?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"I think some of the women are really nice, and I hope that not every single night will be like last night, oh, and I learned that Ace and Thatch are perverts." I concluded. He eyed me.

"Perverts, eh? I might just have to beat some sense into 'em." Marco rubbed his chin.

I laughed, "Oh, I don't think they'll be bothering the women anymore. Asa taught them a lesson."

"She did? How so?"

"All of the nurses now own blackmail material." I explained, chuckling darkly. We approached set of double doors, and I heard plenty of noise.

Marco opened the door, and gestured for me to enter. I stepped in, and to my sight were many tables with benches, and chefs were serving foods to men with plates in hand. Several guys looked my way, and whistled.

I swear I heard someone say: "I know what_ I _want." and more looked at me. Some blushed, some looked away, but I knew what _all _were thinking.

_Look at _that.

It really bothered me.

I don't like having guys stare at me. I don't particularly like the attention, or the distractions. I wasn't lying when I told Asa I was jealous of her figure. Its true- maybe that way more people would leave me alone. There's two ways that always work with them:

Ignore them- they get bored after a while.

Be a bitch- you can beat some sense into them, or insult them until they want to be away from you.

I tend to use a mixture of the two. I'm not afraid to admit my short temper, so I don't always manage #1. Speaking of which, I need to work on my patience with people.

Anyway, I just walked by them, and blocked out everything, and just sat down at a table, waiting for the food line to grow shorter. Marco came back a few minutes later, with food and drink in hand. He raised an eyebrow at me, and said, "More of them are gonna be coming in. If you don't go now, you might not get anything."

"I'm okay, thanks." I told him, and rested my head on the table. "I'm just tired. And if I eat, I won't be able to stay awake."

He just looked at me with an observing look, then shrugged and started eating. "Your choice," Marco mumbled.

It was –mostly- quiet. I started counting every time someone in the dining room laughed. Just after I counted twenty-three, the doors burst open to reveal a defeated-looking Thatch and Ace who was somewhere between pissed off and upset. He stomped his way over to us, and a lot of guys backed away from him, and I swear I saw him steaming.

I merely looked up him with bored eyes, not even lifting my head off the table. "What?" I asked innocently.

"I hate you!" he yelled, and gritted his teeth.

I didn't bother to get angry, and merely stated, "Well, I think you deserved it."

"We did not!"

"Yes you did. Guys have no right to sexually harass girls. That's why I hate you." That got Marco, Thatch, and Ace's attention especially. It seemed that just about everybody else already knew I had an attitude problem.

"So what, you hate guys?" Ace demanded. "That's sexist!"

I closed my eyes and opened them again. "One, I _never _thought I'd hear a guy say that. Two, you kinda gave me right to this morning." I sat up. "And I don't hate all guys. Example, Marco doesn't bother me at all. It's just perverts and sexists… and the ones who abuse girls." I added as I stood up and walked out of the galley, leaving them behind me.

* * *

Ace

* * *

"Ugh, she's dumb!" I growled. All the nurses had blackmail material. So ridiculous! I just wanted a peek… It's not fair! I'm a guy, and we want girls!

I was promptly hit on the back of the head, and turned to glare at Marco, who was looking at me with his usual bored look, but there was a certain edge to it now.

"You're the dumb one. What do you think you'd get for peeking on the girls while they're bathing? I think you deserved it too!" he told me, and Thatch quietly nodded.

"Yeah, if we're gonna do something like that, we shouldn't get caught!" Thatch exclaimed, and whined when Marco then smacked him too.

"You're both dumbasses. Rin's right. It's not nice to take a peek at girls when they don't want you to." he told us, and I scowled at the floor.

"But I'm _bored…_" I couldn't help but whine, and Marco rolled his eyes.

"No girl is gonna want you if you're a pervert. At the least, certainly not any girl on _this _ship." the First Division commander added, and sat back down to finish his breakfast.

"So?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips, "There of plenty women out there! I can always find another one!" I told him, and it just so happened that plenty of the nurses walked in for breakfast.

"And _that's _why not one of us wants you!" Asa pointed a finger in my face, before smacking me upside the head. "Girls want to be treated _nicely, _you dumbass!" she scowled. "Rin is just standing up for our rights as human beings and we _happen _to appreciate that!" the other nurses nodded. And with that, they walked off as one to get something to eat.

I just stuck my tongue out at their backs, and Marco sighed. I plopped down into the chair across from him, ad Thatch sat down too. I was _really _hungry, but I wasn't willing to go stand next to all the women right now. I just glared at the floor, and quickly stomped on the small circle that started smoking.

"….mention guys who abuse girls?" I suddenly realized Thatch was speaking, and forced my attention to him, in hopes to prevent burning anything down.

"I dunno, maybe she had a bad experience?" Marco shrugged. "That would explain her thoughts towards some guys, and maybe why she's such a loner." he noted, and I finally realized they were talking about Rin, which pissed me off again.

"Who cares?" I blurted, and they looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, well I don't know, maybe the guy _who saved her yesterday?" _Thatch said with emphasis. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"It was a spur of the moment! I didn't know she was a bitch!" I told them with my hands raised in defense. Out of nowhere what felt like a spoon hit me in the back of the head, I spun around to find the nurses death glaring me. They finally turned back to their meals and I made a face at them, but that resulted in another spoon sailing _through _my forehead, with a little eruption of fire.

That also reminded me that since they were out of the way, I could go and get breakfast without trouble.

* * *

Rin

* * *

I walked back outside, without much on my mind. It didn't even really bother me that much- it already passed. I was just sticking up for the other girls', because apparently this hadn't been the first time. When I finally got back on deck, it was –surprisingly- clear of unconscious people. This was perfectly fine with me, but still. I had expected a lot more of them to still be out here. There were only a few of them around, some up in the rigging, but I suppose most of them had gone to clean up and eat before they set off for the day.

I walked over to the railing and looked at the sun, which was still low in the sky. It was bright red, not the shining thing you can't stare at for more than five seconds. I looked down at the treacherous water, and wished for the ability to swim again… it was so tempting. But, I'm not suicidal, so yeah. For now the ocean had an orange gleam.

Swimming… I hadn't done so since I was six. I accidentally ate the damn fruit and my life turned to shit. It was all my fault…

No!

If anyone's to blame, it's _him!_ And, I must admit, he gave me a reason to live. I _will _get revenge. I'll use the powers that he forced upon me to kill him. I'll get there…

I quickly blinked the threatening tears away; I had no use for them. Such feelings would only hinder me. I had to either train, rest, or plan my next action. Seeing as one was unachievable, another was boring, I chose to train. As much as I wanted to spar with someone, they were busy so I focused on other things.

I sat on deck, folded my legs, straightened my back, and closed my eyes. I let my senses radiate outwards, trying to pick up sounds from farther away, or pick out smells that were much more subtle.

It was annoying that I could still smell alcohol though, but I tried to pick up other things. I had been trying for a while to hone my senses in my human form, and though I knew it wouldn't be the same as my hybrid and full forms, it was possible. It took twelve years, but I had nearly full access to my powers, which I was thankful for. They helped me escape, and they've been keeping me alive until now.

I certainly wonder where my life would be if I hadn't eaten the fruit… but… I utterly love my life now. I'm not saying that I'm perfectly happy –I can't be until I kill _him_- but still. I love the life of pirating, and if a series of misfortunate events hadn't occurred, I can't imagine where I'd be today. It's always interesting, and I have a higher goal to achieve. And I will do it.

* * *

**Chapter's End Notes: **I know. It sucks. Just have some patience, okay? Btw, on April 22, it will be the one-year anniversary of when I first started Night and Day (remember, this is the _revision_ so it technically counts)! Yay, woo! I WILL force myself to write at least three more chapters between now and then. I'm also thinking of putting in extras to the stories (omakes, songchappies [?], quick x-overs, etc.) so let me know. You'll know when you see them okay?

GOGAI GOGAI GOGAI! (If you don't know what that means, look it up)

I love you guys, and will be back soon. Things are starting to calm down in my life, so everything gonna start up again. EXCEPT, next week, I have state exams, so it might be a little busy there, but it's not like I can study for a test that includes EVERYTHIN I learned in this year... stupid algebra... ~See ya soon!, Kami-chan


	5. Still Naive and Young

**Still Naïve and Young**

**Author's Notes:** Here we go! I'm gonna keep it coming!

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, I DO NOT OWN One Piece.

* * *

Ace

* * *

I easily devoured the two plates full of delicious food, and managed to avoid the stares directed at me by Thatch and Marco. After finishing and rubbing my stomach contently, I couldn't ignore them any longer.

"What?" I demanded, having already grown tired of their staring.

"Go apologize!" they insisted, and I frowned.

"_Why _should _I _apologize?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Their eyebrows shot up in disbelief. They shared a glance, and then looked at me with serious faces.

"You can't be _that _hard-headed, Ace," Marco said. "At least Thatch already apologized, so why can't you?"

"Yeah, I don't get you sometimes." Thatch rubbed his forehead, "You're all Prince Charming and shit one day, and the next you're being a perverted ass."

"That's cause I found out that she sucks!" I exclaimed. "And I don't think I need to apologize! She already got back at me this morning, so we're even. Why do I need-"

"Because you picked a fight with her after she was already over the situation." Marco said with an exasperated sigh. "I think she might feel like she owes us something." he suddenly added, confusing me.

"What? What'd make you say that?" I asked.

"Last night, while we were partying, she stayed up and took over night watch duty for Izou. She didn't even trade places after Izou's shift was over." Marco gave me a hard glare. "Because if I'm right, she is _thankful _for you saving her yesterday, and wants to help out however she can."

That just made me more confused. "Then why was she so testy this morning?" I tried to cover up my confusion.

They just rolled their eyes.

"That's because we we attempting to do something she is clearly against. I would have to guess that she might have been sexually harassed before." Thatch said, twisting his goatee.

"No way. She'd probably just beat their asses if they tried." I couldn't accept the idea of that bitch being weak, except… well, yesterday…

My fellow commanders snorted.

"You can't be dumb enough to believe that she's like that all the time," Marco told me. "I was having a nice conversation with her before you showed up. She's not that mean, she's just… well guarded."

"What do you mean by that?" Thatch asked him.

"As beautiful as she is, it seems to bother her when guys focus all their attention on her. Rin probably doesn't want to have any guys mess with her." Marco answered him, and looked at someone behind me. I turned to find Asa standing there, ignoring me completely.

"Rin-san told me that she was _jealous _of _me."_ Asa said, pointing to her relatively flat chest. "She called her figure _'inconvenient'."_

I snorted. "She didn't seem to find it so '_inconvenient' _yesterday morning in some attempt to give those men rides for her." It's true. She looked like some hooker trying to get what she wanted.

"Ace, did you even _attempt _to figure out why she was doing that?" Thatch asked me. When I raised an eyebrow, he went on. "Even if Rin doesn't like her gorgeous figure-" Marco rolled his eyes at Thatch's dreamy tone, "-she's smart enough to use it to her advantage. Many guys would give anything for just a touch at those wonderful, perfect, twins…" he had a slight nosebleed here, and Asa punched him in the jaw while Marco slapped the back of his head.

"Don't even _go _there." they said together.

Marco sighed, and finished for the now unconscious Thatch, "She been using everything she got to get to where she needs to be. I wouldn't doubt it if she's been thinking about what we might _possibly _ask for in return…" he trailed off.

"So what, she's afraid of guys?" I asked disbelievingly. That just didn't make sense to me. "It doesn't look like she's scared of anything."

"_Go _and _apologize _to her and maybe you'll find out." Marco ordered. "Rin obviously doesn't mind guys who aren't perverts. So just be nice, okay?" he pushed on my shoulder, and I snorted once more before getting out of my seat.

As I was walking by Asa, she didn't look up when she muttered, "Rin-san was _really _grateful for us helping her. She just… doesn't know how to express it."

At that, I walked out of the dining hall, complying with the first mate's orders.

* * *

It had been almost half an hour since my little 'chat with Ace, and I was just staring at clouds when I heard a familiar voice speak up. I already knew that someone was coming, but the breeze pushed their scent away from me.

"Hey," Ace said, his voice gruff. I looked up, but he was staring up at the clouds I had just been looking at.

He loomed above me, but his stance didn't hint at him being mad anymore. Ace was taller than me, but from my seat he looked _really _tall. I suppose he may have sensed my slight discomfort, because he came to sit down next to me, and I could see every muscle move as he lowered himself.

"Hi." I said simply, and turned my head up to look at the clouds.

"I… I'm… sorry… I was a jerk this morning. And a pervert." Ace suddenly told me, as if eager to get it over with.

"S'okay." I said simply, not looking away from the fluffy white clouds, as they drifted along unbothered in their path across the sky.

I could feel his gaze on me, but I didn't look back at him.

"I won't do it again, if it bothers you that much." he mumbled, but it was easy to understand him.

I sighed. He sounded just like a lot of others guys. "You can do whatever you want. Just don't do it to me." I told him, and became interested in an oddly shaped cloud.

Ace was quiet for a minute, before saying, "I not really a pervert… I just get bored sometimes, and then Thatch starts… I guess… you were right about us not having the right to do things like that to girls… I mean, I know that I'm gonna be tormented _forever _for it." he sighed.

"Probably," I answered. He huffed, and then demanded:

"What are thinking about? I'm trying to make amends."

I finally looked at him; Ace was pouting just like a kid. I sighed and looked back at the clouds. "Have you ever wished… that you were just a cloud? Floating along, and no one can bother you? No rush, no distractions… I wonder what it's like…" I trailed off.

He made a 'huh' noise, and glanced back at the clouds. "Am I right in saying that you don't like people?" he asked, and though I think he was teasing, I answered him seriously:  
"I'm not much of a people person. No one gets me- hell, I don't get me half the time." Although, there were three people who were the best people I had ever met- and I missed them very much right now…

"Miss who?" Ace suddenly asked, and I was startled. Had I spoken out loud?

I began to think up an answer, and settled with what I really thought. "I'd been alone for a really long time, but then I met these other kids… we've been the best friends since. They were my first, and only, friends. I miss them a lot." I finished, and this talk got me wondering.

_Where are they? Are they okay? When will we meet again…?_

"…lonely?" I realized that Ace was saying something.

"Excuse me?" I asked, and he repeated.

"So you're lonely?" Ace asked again, and I was a bit taken aback.

"Well- I mean- a bit, yeah, I guess." I fumbled. I wasn't the best with deep emotions.

"If you had friends here, would you still be lonely?" he asked, and this only served to confuse me more. I gave him a certain look, and I suppose he understood.

Ace stretched his legs out to get comfy, and folded his hands behind his head, while fixing his hat accordingly. The thing was so vibrantly, flamboyantly, flashy, _in your face_ that I kinda wanted to rip it to shreds.

"Well, Thatch and Marco were explaining to me why I should apologize, and they got to realize that you were right and stuff," he kinda blushed, "and they started guessing things." This immediately has me on guard.

"What _kinds _of things?" I demanded.

"They were wondering if…. you…" he glanced at me with a look I didn't quite understand. "Uh, didn't like perverts _for a reason."_ Ace finished in one breath, and I frowned.

_Where is he going with this…?_

"And, why mentioned guys who abuse girls." he added, and I nearly bit my tongue off.

I closed my eyes, and tried to figure out an answer I could give him, without revealing my life story. I did _not _want pity.

"Let's say that once or twice I've been abused by men. They all wanted me to do things for them that I didn't want to. And then it wasn't _correct _of me to deny them of such things, so… yeah." I beat around the bush. It was technically half-true, so I wasn't lying.

Oddly enough, Ace didn't look like he was buying it.

"Uh-huh. Okay then, so, whenever you're ready." he said, and I rolled my eyes. But, that was okay with me. Ace didn't say I had to tell him anything, and I wasn't gonna stick around for long. Then we'd never see each other again. So this kindness was pointless… though…. nice.

"Um, do you think… that we could forget this morning and start off again from last night?" Ace asked, with an eyebrow raised. I couldn't help but smile. There was just something about him… he had an attractive personality.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I smiled, and laughed with him. I realized, very suddenly, that I liked Ace twice as much when he laughed. It made him seem like a kid, despite the fact he was a year older than me. The freckles splashed on his face were boyish and endearing, very contrasting to his well muscled abs.

I caught myself here. I was filled with my own confusion and uncertainty.

I just met Ace.

He saved me for no reason.

Last night I decided to travel with them for a few days.

This morning, he was an ass.

Now, he was _cute._

And, what made me really sad, was: I would never see him again.


	6. I'm Still Naive

**I'm Still Naïve**

* * *

Rin

* * *

After thinking such things, it made me relatively sad to be with Ace. He just kept talking, describing what things were like on the Moby Dick. It was easy to talk to him; he supplied most of the conversation.

"Yeah, we're just like a big family." Ace said, with a peaceful smile on his face. I looked at him, and could tell it in his voice; he was utterly happy here.

I couldn't help but smile, but I felt envious. "It sounds wonderful." I told him, and looked up at the clouds again. I was surprised to see that the sun was nearly at noon point; we had been here for hours. That would explain why my ass was sore as hell.

"It is." I noticed him turning to look at me from the corner of my eye. "You're not that bad."

I blinked twice, and turned slowly to stare at him with a confused face. Apparently, I looked odd, because he chuckled.

"You're such a mysterious person- according to the Marines: a murderer and thief. But none of us actually listen to the Marines." He laughed, "So I wondered what you're really like."

I smiled, and raised an eyebrow. "What do _you _think I'm like?" I asked smartly, and couldn't help but wonder what his answer would be.

"You're bipolar." Ace answered, and dodged my playful fist with a laugh. "You're also free-spirited and very different with friends and enemies." he paused here, and went on when I nodded. "You're out to seek someone who wronged you, but along the way, you're willing to stop and enjoy the good things. People know not to mess with you, and it's really hard to get along with you. Am I right?"

I chuckled, "What, are you freakin' psychic?" I asked, and he fist pumped.

"Well, it looks like you two are getting along." I heard Marco say, and we turned to my right. He stood there, with a lazy smile on his face, and his thumbs hooked in his pockets.

Ace gave him a big grin. "Yeah, you guys were right. Go ahead and gloat." he told him, and the 1st Division commander chuckled.

"Well, it's almost lunch time, and I figured you guys would want to get there first." he said, and Ace nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I'm starved!" he said, and jumped up. I took his hand when he offered it, and we all walked together back to the dining hall. "So what's for lunch?"

O.O.O.O

We were all sitting together, Ace, Marco, and I, after we got our plates. The cooks did a great job; steak well-done with steamed vegetables and rice. I was drooling along with Ace, my stomach growled at me to hurry and get some.

Ace and I dug right right in (A/N: It's the curse of the D's!), and I was whole-heartedly enjoying myself when Ace did something I wouldn't understand for awhile. I heard him make a weird noise and I looked over in time to see Marco grabbing his hair to prevent his face falling into his food. I just stared, wide-eyed.

Then it finally began to sink in.

"Oh my God, what happened to him?" I demanded, as Marco moved his plate to the side and unceremoniously let Ace's forehead greet the table with an echoing _thud._

Laughter erupted around us, and Marco sighed.

"It's about time!"

"Commander Ace finally did it!"

"I told ya he wouldn't last till afternoon! You owe me!"

And then, there was me: "What the hell?"

Marco chuckled, and the laughter finally began to die down into mischievous glances and snickers.

"Ace is narcoleptic. He falls asleep just like that often."

I blinked a few times. "Just like that? While he's eating and everything?" I asked, trying to wrap my mind around it, well, the part that wasn't telling me to keep eating.

"Yeah, sometimes even when he's talking. Thatch has to dive in and rescue him when he falls overboard." he explained, and I began to understand.

"That's really dangerous for him though." I said, my eyebrows furrowing. Marco nodded. I looked at Ace; sleeping soundly, his snores were loud.

_I really shouldn't. _My smart side cautioned when my mind started wandering.

_Screw you. _My playful side said, and won. I leaned right over him, and poked his eye with the blunt end of my fork. Though jabbed may be the correct word.

"OW!" he screeched, and jumped up; his head knocked onto my chin before I could react and my head snapped back painfully.

"Owww!" I moaned, and collapsed back into my chair, nursing my stinging jaw. I realized after the pain in my jaw, that my tongue was throbbing. I must've bit it.

"What the HELL WAS THAT?" Ace demanded, rubbing his eye, but all he got in response was roaring laughter.

"You okay?" someone snickered to me, unable to contain their laughter.

"I bid my tung," I grumbled, unable to speak properly. This enticed more laughter from the others, and Ace glared at me through one eye while he rubbed the other.

"That hurt!" Ace growled at me, while I massaged my jaw.

"You mabe me bide my tung!" I muttered, and cursed in my head when it sounded retarded.

"Serves you right!" he huffed, and uncovered his eye. He blinked a few times, and it looked kinda red.

"…I'm sowwy." I muttered, and still hated how it came out. He blinked at me, and finally muttered, 'Whatever' and went back to his food.

* * *

Ace

* * *

What the hell? Can she make up her mind? Either she should be nice, or be annoying, but not alternating between both! What the hell did she have to stab my eye for?

If I didn't know better, I'd say Thatch put her up to it.

But after I heard her say "I'm sowwy," with that pout on her face, my anger pretty much vaporized. Why? I have no freaking idea. I suppose it was cute. Not that Rin's cute, I mean, she sucks half the time. And she's kind of a downer, sometimes. And she can be bitch, and she's bipolar, and-

Why the hell am I thinking about her so much?

I finished eating, and glanced at her; she just looked at her food with that kicked puppy look- like she really felt bad about it. The ever intelligent Marco found it to be a good idea to stay quiet –smart man- and he just ate. Everybody else finally calmed down, and went about their own business. Nothing could hold their attention for long.

I got up, and noticed Rin's eyes fly up to look at me before they went back to her plate. As I walked away, she started picking at her food with her fork, but not really eating. I was going to return my plate to the kitchen so the poor sucker on cleaning duty could wash them, and Marco started conversation with her.

I was at the swinging kitchen door when I heard from inside:

"I think they'd be cute together."

"They would."

"You're both crazy!"

I swung the door open, and the three inside (Thatch and two off the female cooks) jump before looking away immediately, which made me immensely curious. Since _when _did I start to care about their gossip?

"Hey!" Thatch waved, and I just walked over to him, shoving the plate into his hands.

"Here ya go chore-boy." I mocked him, and he made a face at me before turning around to begin washing. The women bit their lips but I could see the tiny smiles at the corners of their mouths. "And _what _is so funny?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. That apparently did it, because I can't scare the older crew mates; they just find my anger to be hilarious or something.

"Oh, nothing!" one giggled.

"Yeah, right!" the other added, and I huffed.

"Alright, what's the stupid rumor _this _time?" I asked, and this practically sent them into convulsions. The cooks especially had severe problems with spreading gossip. It's like food wasn't the only thing were cooking, and they all prided themselves on it. I always figured that it might get boring just cooking, so they had to alleviate that by bothering the crap out of people.

"Oh, Ace! It's nothing, don't worry!" one said, trembling with constrained laughter.

"Uh huh! Nothing _you _need to worry about!" the other added and even Thatch cracked up. I huffed, and turned to leave.

"No wonder you get along with them so well Thatch! You're all gossiping old-ladies!" I told him as I stomped out, roaring laughter coming from behind me.

Everybody looked at me, ready to laugh again, and I just walked past them. Rin and Marco looked up at me as I went by without saying anything, and I didn't look back as I went off to my room. I felt like sleeping.

* * *

Rin

* * *

I felt guilty. This was uncomfortable, since Guilt and I aren't on speaking terms. I didn't _mean _to hurt Ace, right? So why was he so mad?

Well, I guess I could've been gentler about it, rather than jabbing him in the eye. But it wasn't a thought out idea! I just did it!

This is exactly my problem. I always do things without thinking!

I was just sitting there, making myself feel worse on the inside, and only snapped out of it when Ace stood up. This upset me. I wanted to apologize, but didn't know how to begin, and there went my shot. He was already gone. Maybe it was that I really needed to learn how apologize, or maybe I was too proud, but I just didn't feel like being mean to Ace. He was so nice (when I didn't severely annoy him).

I felt like… we could be real friends.

_But I'm not gonna stick around anyways!_

…_Right?_

I had no clue. I felt out of place, yet oddly like I belonged here. They were like one big, happy family, and I liked that a lot. Family was something I didn't have for long. It was so nice, and it brought back all those old things I hadn't felt in a long time.

Playfulness.

Remorse.

And oddly enough, I felt like laughing whenever I saw them laughing.

It was so different here with the White Beards. They were so _welcoming. _Which at first, immediately triggered my _It's a trap! _alarm. Nobody was nice to me, unless it was a guy who wanted my body. I never stuck around anyone long enough to develop bonds, and most of the time, it was lust, disgust, or horror. Those didn't make me feel any better inside, but I got so use to them, that I was put off by happiness and welcoming arms.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I looked back up when Ace stomped out of the kitchen, more thoroughly pissed off than before he entered, and felt something break when he refused to even look at me on his way out. I would prefer a glare than to be ignored.

"God, I'm so bad with people." I muttered, and slammed my forehead onto the table. I ignored the sting, and just glared at the grains in the wood, and saw Marco give me a certain look I couldn't quite place.

"well, maybe you should practice your people skills." he suggested.

"You mean the non-existent ones?" I demanded, and finally began to eat my food. Oh great, it was already cold (I ate it anyway).

He chuckled, and shook his head. "No, I mean the ones that are hiding under all those layers of self-defense."

I stopped chewing, and turned to stare at him. When he gave me an _Am I right? _look, I hurriedly went back to my food, and ate it just as fast.

"I dunno what you're talkin' about" I mumbled, and swallowed painfully. He took this as a yes, and stood up. He grabbed my plate and his own, and said finally,

"Start with an apology later, after he's cooled off a bit." and walked off to the kitchen. I thought about for a minute, and then got up and left the galley.

* * *

**Chapters End Notes: **See you guys tomorrow!


	7. To Pass the Time

**To Pass the Time...**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hi everyone! I'm soooooo sorry. I'm a horrible writer. *dodges flying objects* Yes, I know... But I'm updating again, sorry about the wait! Please forgive me by reading this, waiting for the next update, and remaining faithful! Please?

**Disclaimer: ***looks around apartment* Hmmm... No Ace. No Luffy. No White Beard pirates. Oh, there's Rin! *waves at my OC* WEll, then, that's the only character I own!

* * *

Ace was nowhere to be found, and finally, one of the men told me that he had gone to his room to sleep.

Well that wasn't going to help.

… or would it?

This would give me some more time to think. I headed off to my own room, waving at the nurses who greeted me cheerfully, and smiling a little with the men who laughed at my earlier antics. When I finally got there, I opened the door and found the room to be much cooler than it had been this morning when the Sun had shone through the porthole.

I flopped on my bed, kicking off my heels, and staring up at the ceiling, before I felt something under my pillow. Lifting it to find an envelope was a bit surprising, and it was addressed to me from another nurse, one named 'Kaiya'.

When I opened the envelope, I found several pictures, all of them being of me tormenting the men. It made me smile; they looked scared, and stood over them with my hands on my hips. They were taken from several different angles, and one looked as if the photographer had been standing right behind me. A note came with them, reading:

_I thought you should be the first to get copies- it was great of you to do that for us! Those guys can be real jerks sometimes, but don't be too hard on them for it. Thanks so much, Kaiya._

I had to remember to thank her for them, and put the pictures back in but leaving the note out. I couldn't _ever _think of a time someone thanked me for I did.

I stared up at the ceiling, trying to find patterns in the wood, while my mind searched for the last time someone said _thank you_.

Only one instance came up, and that was when Mamorou, Aya and I had helped Haruna… I didn't realize my eyes teared up until everything was distorted- I pulled the pillow over my head. … Even if there was no one around, no one, nothing could see me cry. I wouldn't allow it.

I missed my friends so much! They were the only people I could trust, and they took care of me… they saved me from myself.

When would we meet again?

**-x-**

I started awake when someone knocked on my door. I snorted and sat up, before getting hit with vertigo. It was twilight, and pretty dark in my room. The pillow fell to the floor and I tripped out of bed, rubbing my eyes and fixing my clothes.

Whoever it was knocked again, and I pulled the door opened, looking up at Ace, who looked at me in surprise.

"Uh, hi," I grunted, and coughed the sleep out of my throat. "Hi." I said, and my voice sounded much better.

"Um, sorry to wake you…" Ace began with a raised eyebrow, and I ran my hand through my hair, noting that it stuck up in about twenty different places.

I gave him a sheepish smile, and he returned it, before it clicked…

"Oh! You're awake!" I said, before realizing how stupid that sounded. Ace's smile grew wider before I smacked myself, in hopes to straighten my thought process out a bit. "I mean, I was looking for you earlier, but one of the guys told me you were asleep and I didn't want to bother you, so I came here and waited but I started thinking about lots of stuff and then I-"

"Fell asleep too?" Ace supplied, and I nodded, catching my breath.

"I wanted to tell you I was sorry," I said, at the same time Ace started saying,

"I want to apologize" before we caught ourselves. Ace nodded and I went first.

"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for what I did earlier- I mean- I can be really _dumb _sometimes. I didn't mean to hurt you." I said, looking away a little.

Ace went ahead. "And I wanted to apologize for making such a fuss about it. I was being a jerk, I guess." he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you had reason to be upset." I pointed out, before he held up his hand.

"Since we're both sorry about it, how 'bout we meet in the middle and agree to try not to fight too much?" he asked, and held out his hand for a shake, which I slowly returned, blinking at him in surprise. All I got back was a freckled smile, which made me want to smile.

**-Ace-**

Rin looked kinda surprised at my forgiveness, which surprised me too. Had I been that mean to her?

Well anyway, we shook hands, and I gave her a big smile, which she returned.

"Wanna head for the galley?" I asked, and Rin looked confused. "It's time for dinner." I supplied, and understanding lit up her face.

"Sure!" she chirped, and I nodded towards down the hallway before starting to walk off, and after she closed her door, she followed.

I noted her fixing her hair again, and I looked as she started braiding it. Rin's hair was really long, reached her mid back, and was a bronze color, with subtle blonde highlights. When she got to the end, she pulled the ponytail holder from around her wrist and tied it off and leaving it on her shoulder.

Rin finally noticed my staring, and she blushed a little.

"Um, can I ask why you're staring?" she asked, and raised an eyebrow.

I looked ahead as we came towards the galley. "No reason." I said simply, sticking my hands in my pockets and walked just a little faster, and she matched my pace, but looked ahead too.

I could hear the noise coming from the galley before we entered; the men were excited about _something _or another. I opened the door, and found people placing bets, standing around something, or someone. I couldn't tell.

"Hey guys!" Thatch called, and we walked over. After squishing by some men, I found the source of excitement; arm wrestling.

"What're they doing?" I asked, while Rin looked at someone else and asked,

"Where's dinner?"

Thatch laughed, and said to both of us, "Someone screwed up on dinner; it's gonna be a little late. So we all got bored and started an arm wrestling tournament. Everyone's been trying to beat Marco for the last 15 minutes."

As if on cue, the First Division commander slammed his opponent's arm onto the table. The disappointed man got up, and rubbed his wrist while a few people forked over lost money. Marco had his usual look, but was smiling in the slightest. I was about to start, when Rin beat me to it.

"Can I try?" she asked the first Mate, smiling slightly.

Everyone went quiet, and looked between the two; Thatch's jaw dropped, but he wasn't the only one.

"WHAAAAAAT?" everyone demanded, and stared at Rin who looked really confused.

"Um, did I say something wrong?" she asked nervously, before Marco started laughing.

"Naw, it's just that the nurses don't usually participate, and Haruta's about the only other girl around here." Marco laughed, which was odd for him. "Come on." he nodded, and she sat in front of him.

Everyone quickly got over their shock and started placing all sorts of bets; Rin just ignored and looked at her opponent, who looked calm.

Thatch squeezed his way over there, and placed his hands on the table. Everyone tiptoed and tried to get a better view, I stood on a bench.

"Alright, rules are simple." Thatch said. "Grip hands, and use your strength to push the opponent's arm onto the table. No lifting your elbow, and no use of the other arm. Ready?" he asked, and they both set their elbows on the table, and gripped hands. Marco's face was calm, and Rin looked like she was thinking about it.

"Go!" Thatch said, and took a step back.

They pushed, and after a few seconds, everyone could clearly she Rin's biceps start quivering in exertion. Her eyebrows furrowed, and it looked like she was holding her breath. She was starting to lose, and Marco looked at her, with a small smirk, which quickly disappeared.

Rin looked up sharply, face becoming one of shock, and her arm moved back quickly, as though her attention had been caught on something else. Everyone looked behind Marco to see what it was, even Marco himself, and in the split second before her own arm hit the table she forced all her strength and pushed his arm onto the wood while he was distracted.

Everyone stared in shock, and Rin grinned hugely.

"WHAAAAAT?" Everyone's jaw dropped, Marco sweated a little. The First Mate had just lost to the new girl, even after defeating all the other guys!

Rin herself jumped up and fist pumped, "Woot! I did it! Chehehehe!" she laughed, grinning widely with her eyes closed.

"Um…. did you just cheat?" I asked, confused as to _what just happened. _

"Uh uh! You never said we couldn't distract each other!" she snapped and pointed a finger at me. Everyone sweatdropped, and I couldn't help but laugh, which made her laugh, which eventually spread to everyone else.

"Damn I lost!" Just about three-fourths of the men complained and paid up.

"I'm good." Rin purred, very smug with herself.

The First Mate gave up good heartedly, and stood from his seat, and just as the next person was about to challenge the new champion, one of the chefs popped their head out from the kitchen, and called out for dinner.

**–Rin–**

We spent the next hour eating and telling jokes, then went up on deck for a while and listened to Oyaji tell an interesting story as he drank much alcohol –much to the chagrin of the nurses– and Ace fell asleep about three times. It must have been around two AM when I got tired again. I excused myself, although I doubt the men actually noticed.

As I walked down the hallway to my room, several girls were walking between their rooms and the bathroom, most too tired to notice me, but a few did wave. I didn't see Asa, and I figured I'd look for Kaiya tomorrow.

After going through the hygiene ritual already half asleep, I finally got to my bed, flopping down and didn't even cover up.

It was the first time in a while I fell asleep so fast, I don't remember having any dreams…

* * *

**End Notes: **Just FYI, the** -x- **line breaks just signify a passing of time, and the **-(insert person's name)- **line breaks are when it changes POV. I will be updating again soon. I'm just reeeeeeeeaallly busy now. I'm in the next grade, filled with Creative Writing already, keeping up my teacher's wiki, Facebook group, and teacherweb for extra credit, and I'm also taking Latin. When I have free time, I usually read fanfiction, manga, or sleep. But I will be updating again.

Strangely, I starting typing like mad whilst listening to "Hello!" from Book of Mormon Musical, and "Therapy" from tick, tick, BOOM! Very strange, but I was listening and all of the sudden, "I MUST TYPE!"

Good bye!

My name is Kami-sama!

Did you know I live here in the USA?

You can, read all my fiction on this site, no you don't have to pay!

Can I get you to see my fics and just paruse?

* * *

Okay, I'm done being a nerd XD !


	8. Beware: Stormy Seas Ahead

**Beware: Stormy Seas Ahead**

**Author's Note: **Wow. So. Last update was October 18th, was it? Jeez... What is wrong with me? Guys, I am soooo sorry, I really don't know, I just had no clue what to do with this story, but I've regained my sense of direction. I'll update this story at least twice before I update any others, alright? I promise! Here's an extra long chapter to compensate.

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE. IF I DID, THE STORY WOULD BE UPDATED ONCE A MONTH AND WOULDN'T BE PAST JAYA ARC DUE TO MY INCREDIBLE LAZINESS AND WRITER'S BLOCK ALL THE TIME.**

To the people who have been reviewing, thank you so much! I love you guys! So here's a shout of **to:**  
**Shiary** / **Akasuna Himitsu** / **Vampire Revan** / **cookieso** / **Yuzuki** / **Tsukasa-kun** / **anon** / **LikeTheSky** / **lunarqua** / **Blue Wolf Miko **/ **ichigo1508** / **LittleAi** / **Mikila94** / **queenofspades19** / aaaaaand **WolfyMcClowd** !  
Thank all of you for reviewing my story and most importantly, reading it and putting up with my lack of updates! Gomenasai!

* * *

**T**he next two days came and went, and it had been surprisingly calm on the Grand Line. No Sea Kings, pirates, Marines, or storms. This was usually a sign of something bad. And on the third day of my travelling with the White Beards, the Grand Line got its revenge.

I woke up that morning to the crack of lightning. It was like a gunshot to my sensitive ears, and I startled awake so bad I fell out of my bed. After a few seconds of pain in the back of my head, I realized that someone was knocking on my door. "Come in!" I yelled, getting up and putting the sheets back on my borrowed bed, going to the dresser. I looked up to see Kaiya, the nurse who sent me the pictures, standing in my doorway, wearing her normal pink calf-length skirt, slip ons, and dark pink under shirt with a light pink over shirt. "What's up?"

She was about my height, with long, dark green hair and wire rimmed glasses over her coal eyes. Her skin was fair in comparison, and she had a sweet personality too.

"There's a pretty bad storm outside." she told me, at least looking away and closing the door behind her as I dressed myself in my normal shorts and a tank top, before looking around. The closest thing I had to a coat was my leather half jacket, so I went barefoot and no jacket at all. None of my shoes would get very good grip on the wet, nor would it be practical at all to wear my heels.

It had happened before that I would be travelling on a ship before and they would need help when a storm came. So I pulled my hair in a tight bun before turning to Kaiya. "I've worked with rigging before and have good balance. What should I do?" I asked, and she dragged me out of the nurses' hallway towards the stairs that led on deck.

"Look for Kazane; she's the 10th Division Vice-Commander. She's in charge of rigging and navigation, she's wearing a blue raincoat with black pants, and she's about six feet tall, you can't miss her!" Kaiya said, and I stepped out the door and onto deck, and by the time I could orient myself, I was dripping wet.

The wind howled in my ears and the rain poured in buckets; the waves were tall and even sending water on deck. It was a Devil Fruit user's nightmare. I put that thought aside as I looked around for Kazane; Ace… Marco… oh, there's Thatch-

She was standing by the mast, one hand being used to support herself and the other to point and direct people. I somehow made my way to her, avoiding the scrambling crew. She was a very tall woman, and her voice was clear over the storm.

"Kazane!" I yelled, and she finished an order before looking down at me.

"Whaddaya want?" she demanded, eyeing me harshly.

"How can I help?" I asked, looking around. Kazane thought about it, before looking up at the mast.

"Do you know how to work with rigging?" she demanded, and I nodded my head, and she nodded in return. "I need one more person up on the mizzen mast; there aren't enough people." she said, and I nodded, walking over to said mast and beginning to climb the rungs. It would be simple enough. I just had to get up there and help the three guys lift the sail so it wouldn't rip in the storm.

I had to use my toes to grip, and surprisingly, it worked pretty well. As I finally got there, the two men were struggling with the ropes, before I got on the other side, giving them thumbs up as we pulled as one; though it was difficult due to the water weighing it down, after a few seconds the canvas sail came up. I tied it securely on my end, and was ready to follow as those two started the descent back to the deck. As I was climbing down the rungs on the mast, my foot slipping and I cried out as I began to fall, and felt severe pain in my wrists and elbows when I tensed them to hold me.

I dangled there for a minute, letting the sharp pains die down into a slow beat of pain, and I pulled myself up slightly, planting my feet on the same rung, making sure I was secure before I started climbing down again. As I reached the deck, I rubbed at my elbows.

"_ACE!" _someone screamed through the storm, and I turned to see a wave about to crash over the 2nd Division commander-

I gripped the ladder rung securely as the wave crashed and water even reached me, strong enough to tip me over and my hold was probably the only thing keeping me on deck still. I looked up, and people were holding each other, using ropes any form of holding to keep them on the ship. Ace was nowhere to be seen though. I started to panic, knowing Ace was also a Devil's Fruit user- he couldn't swim.

"_NAMUR_!" I heard Marco's voice shout, and turned in time to see Namur, the 8th Division commander, (also a Shark Fishman) diving over the railing and into the raging sea. That's when another wave crashed into us, and I slipped, falling on my butt and started sliding towards the railing. I clawed at the ground and managed to catch myself when Marco reached me, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him. "Rin! Take this and tie it around your waist!" the 1st Division commander handed me a rope; I saw he had already tied it around his waist as well, in order to prevent any more men overboard.

"What about Ace?" I demanded, yelling.

The Phoenix seemed calm, but when he finally looked at me, I could see the slight nervousness in his blue eyes, so I accepted the rope and tied it securely around my midsection. I heard another yell, and Namur shot out of the ocean through a big wave, flying high over the Moby Dick and as he fell back down, Marco ran forward, the rope between us just loose enough that he got seven feet away before I had to move with him, as Namur tossed the unconscious form of Portgas D. Ace to the 1st Division commander, who managed to catch him, as Namur sunk back into the waves.

"Is he alright?" I asked as the Phoenix set Ace on the ground, checking his breathing and heartbeat, before beginning to pump his stomach.

"Rin, tilt his chin upward and breathe!" Marco commanded, and I got on my knees, beginning to panic as I tilted his chin upward and took a deep breath before pinching his nose shut and blowing deeply. Marco kept pumping his chest in time, and I took another breath before blowing it into him mouth. His lips were very warm, and I was frightened at the lack of response- Marco began to pump harder, and I took a deeper breath before blowing-

Ace's gray eyes shot open and he began to squirm; I quickly got out of his way as he shot up to throw up what seemed to be half and ocean's worth of sea water. He coughed and choked, and I held his arm steady as Marco held his shoulders and patted the younger on the back.

"Ace, are you alright?" I asked, and after a minute of heavy breathing, he looked at Marco and I, nodding slightly, but still too out of breath to respond.

"Rin, I want you to take him below deck- have one of the nurses take a look at him." Marco ordered, and I nodded, untying the rope from around my waist and pulling one of Ace's arms around my shoulders, hauling us both up and towards the door that led below the decks, hoping to find Asa.

Ace was silent, and very heavy. He was probably too weak to carry much of his own weight, I realized, and stood up straighter, looking around for any of the nurses.

**-Ace-**

I hadn't even seen the wall of water coming at me until Marco yelled; then it was just me being washed off deck, slamming into a railing just before going overboard. I panicked, not having gotten in one last breath before being swept away. The ocean was so dark, despite it being early in the day, and the the waves were strong enough that even as a hammer, I didn't immediately sink straight to the bottom.

I could feel myself being pulled along with the waves before I really started sinking- my arms were too heavy to move, and bubbles of air escaped my mouth as the edges of my vision were starting to go dark…

The next thing I felt was something warm against my lips, and something pumping my chest, and I couldn't breathe very well at all- Rin and Marco got out of the way as my body began rejecting the sea water in it, and I didn't stop myself from vomiting the water in my stomach, and almost hacking out a lung. The air was sweet as I breathed in, and I finally realized that Rin and Marco were supporting my body.

"…alright?" I heard from Rin, but my blood was still pounding in my head, but I managed to nod, a wave of dizziness coming over me.

"…below deck… the nurses…" I could faintly hear Marco's voice before someone moved my arm and pulled me onto their shoulder. I cracked open one eye and looked down to see Rin carrying me towards the door that led below decks, and Marco was gone, presumably to help out. I tried to be helpful, by legs were like jell-o and I struggled to get feeling back into them. Finally, Rin brought us there, and we got inside. I heard her sigh in relief and raise her free arms to brush the bangs sticking to her face aside.

I was starting to get feeling in my legs again, and lifted most of my weight off her shoulders. Rin looked up at me with relief on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and I nodded in reply, and she started down the stairs. After minute, I grabbed the railing and stood on my own, glad that the salt water wasn't affecting me anymore. "Just because you look fine doesn't mean I'm not going to drag you downstairs to see a nurse." Rin commented as she passed by me on the stairs, and we walked towards the nurses hallway.

"I'm alright!" I whined, because honestly, the nurses had to take twenty minutes for a damn check-up. It was fine for them to be thorough when it came to Oyaji, but seriously, I can't sit down and wait that long. It's boring.

"Ace, you just drowned." Rin remarked, crossing her arms- like I didn't know that. "Don't make me force you to have a check-up." she threatened, and kept walking, though slower now. I took a second to inspect her; she was just wearing cotton shorts and a tank top, both of which were thoroughly soaked and clinging to her slim figure. Her long hair was in a bun, but it was already coming undone. Rivulets of water trailed down her neck, shoulders, and legs, down to her bare feet.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked when she rubbed her arms. Rin turned to look at me with her bright green eyes, before shaking her head.

"Nah, I just hurt my elbows. Kinda slipped on the ladder." she admitted, looking away, and we turned the corner to the infirmary. "Asa!" she yelled, and said shorty appeared, sticking her head out of the infirmary door. As soon as she saw me soaking wet, her eyes dulled into a deadpan.

"Well well, my favorite patient has come to visit again. What did you do this time, Ace?" she asked sarcastically, and I could feel my eye twitch. "Fall off the mast? Crash into someone? Get strung up by your shorts on a rope, _again_?" Rin tuned to look at me with one raised eyebrow, but I ignored her and tried to keep the embarrassing flush off my face.

"No. I got blindsided by a fifty foot tall wave." I retorted, and the blondie rolled her eyes before popping back into the infirmary, and we followed.

"I don't know why Pops even lets you on deck during a storm, this happens every single time without fail," Asa muttered, before grabbing her stethoscope off her desk. I already knew the procedure, and sat on the bed calmly. The doctor pressed the cold metal against my bare chest and told me to breathe deeply and all that normal crap.

After a few minutes, (and surprisingly, it was shorter than usual) Asa sat down in her chair, sighing and resting her chin on her palm. "I hardly remember why I bother so much anymore," she said, staring at me with a deadpan, before beginning to ramble on and on about how I was a clumsy hammer and blah blah blah. Rin had been quiet the whole time, and was keeping herself entertained by looking into the medicine cabinets when suddenly-

"_Chuu_!" Rin covered her nose and mouth and I stared at her, even Dr. Asa ceased complaining about me as she turned to look at our guest.

"That…" Asa began, staring at Rin who had turned to look at us with a blush on her cheeks, "Was the cutest sneeze I have ever heard…"

Rin's blush darkened, and she looked away. "Sh-shut up! I hate my snee- _chuu_!"She sneezed again, and I was surprised. That wasn't the sneeze you'd expect from a pirate with a bounty on her head. That was a sound made by a six year old girl.

Asa frowned, and inspected our guest. "Someone should have been wearing a raincoat when they went outside." she remarked, and Rin flinched, turning to look at the resident doctor.

"Um… I don't have one…" Rin said hesitantly, and Asa groaned before letting her head fall onto her desk.

"The people around me… such idiots…" I wasn't sure if we were meant to hear that, but I couldn't help but chuckle in response. "Shut _up _Portgas. Don't get me started on you, my _star _patient." she said sarcastically, and I got up, walking to the door.

"Yeah yeah. There's nothing wrong with me, so I'm out of here." I said over my shoulder, and opened the infirmary door.

"If you go back outside, so help me God…" I heard the scary voice of Dr. Asa say, and I turned around to find her with an eye twitching and a cloud of darkness surrounding her being. Rin had backed away slightly, but it was comical.

"You'll what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Her hand twitched to the pocket of her white coat, and I suddenly remembered she kept a syringe or two of sedatives to help control an unruly patient. "I'll knock you out during the next storm and have you strapped to this bed." she said, and I took her word for it, quickly ducking out of the infirmary and leaving Rin to fend for herself.

**-Rin-**

Goddamn it… I hate it when people point out my sneeze… As soon as Ace was out the infirmary door, Dr. Asa turned to look at me with a dark glint in her eyes. Uh oh.

"Well then… I'd better go make sure Ace doesn't go back outside!" I yelled, running out the door and through the hall before the resident doctor could stop me. '_She's gonna kill me…'_

But honestly, it's not like I was part of their crew anyways. She didn't need to check on me, I'd be gone by the end of the week. As I walked towards the sleeping quarters and thus my room, I noticed Marco coming below. "Hey, what's wrong?"

This drew his attention to me, and he carted a hand through his hair. "Things are starting to calm down outside; Kazane let a few people go. I'm tired of getting soaked." the phoenix said, and eyed me. "Aren't you cold or something?"

I looked down, and realized that my cotton shorts were beginning to dry out, but I still wasn't cold. "Not really. Just gonna go change." I told him, and walked by, headed for my room. I lifted a hand over my shoulder, uncaring as to whether he noticed it or not.

**-Marco-**

Rin was an interesting woman to have around. She seemed to have bipolar disorder though, judging from her sudden bouts or rage and then calm. He didn't know whether she would fit in very well with the Whitebeards, considering her awkwardness around people. The phoenix wondered whether she would ever be able to fit in with a group; Kimiko D. Rin was a famous lone pirate, seen with different crews at times, most often on her own, silently sneaking through the Grand Line and occasionally stirring a ruckus.

There was still a small part of Marco that wasn't sure about having her around his brothers and sisters, considering she was wanted for murder and theft. Despite being nineteen years old, she'd had a bounty for several years now, putting her at around thirteen when hers was first issued. Part of his duties as first mate was to investigate whoever stayed on the Moby Dick, for the safety of the crew.

On her first day, she was agitated and pretty hostile, considering they _had_ technically kidnapped her and Marco had been watching closely. He started noticing other things: her disposition around men was more hostile than normal, but around women she seemed at ease, though still awkward, as though she had never spent time around them. He had wondered why it was so, but he could guess it involved her being a lone girl on the Grand Line, home to pirates and Marines abound, she had more than likely been in a bad situation before.

But she was starting to loosen up. Marco could see moments of ease more often, and she seemed to be integrating, which was good. Pops had asked Marco to stay a bit later than the other commanders when he had first spoken to Rin; Whitebeard seemed pretty interested to get the girl to join them. Whatever it was, Pops saw something in her that he liked, and whenever she laughed and had those relaxed moments, Marco thought he could understand.

She was most interesting to observe whenever she was around Ace. Yes, his newest brother was certainly odd, but he was funny. He naturally had people gravitate towards him; Marco had noticed it within the first few days of him being held captive on the Moby Dick. Perhaps it was a D. thing. Rin was much the same way, especially since she had said she didn't want to cause trouble. She seemed a bit more awkward around Ace, and didn't particularly know what to do or say to him.

If Marco knew any better, he'd say that the girl was attracted to Ace, which wouldn't be very surprising. He was good looking, and smart, and fun. Marco was glad that he had finally joined them. But Rin didn't seem very experienced at all in the love department, so she most likely didn't think too much about it.

Today, the phoenix had been helping out his brothers and sisters to keep the Moby Dick upright, and needless to say, he had been afraid when Ace was been washed overboard. He couldn't swim either, and just the thought of his brother drowning made his own stomach churn. He called to the only person able to survive these waters at the current time:

"NAMUR!" he yelled over the storm, and thankfully the shark fishman heard, and saw him gesturing towards the ocean, putting up two fingers. He nodded, inferring that it was Ace who had gone overboard, and immediately jumped in. Kazane had already given his a rope to keep him on the deck, just like the rest of the crew; Marco spotted the movement on his left, and saw Rin clinging to the mast as the same wave that had taken Ace crashing against her. She held fast though, and Marco managed his way over to her, giving her the rope to tie her as well.

Another wave crashed on deck, and she really lost her footing this time, falling onto her ass and Marco helped her up, just in time to look and see Namur propel himself and Ace out of a huge wave, flying over the Moby Dick. The 10th Division commander had angled Ace just so before using their momentum to throw the unconscious man towards Marco, who managed to catch him.

He had almost started panicking when he noticed Ace wasn't breathing yet, and immediately started CPR. Rin sat there for a few seconds, eyes wide in fear, Marco noticed, raising her hands before lowering them, unsure of what to do.

"Rin, tilt his chin upward and breathe!" the phoenix ordered, and he counted the beats in his head, pumping on Ace's chest, hoping to force the water out of his system.

After half a minute, Ace began to respond, and Rin moved as he threw up a lot of water, her and Marco keeping him steady. Marco ordered her to take the youngest commander inside, because honestly, the She-Wolf wasn't much prepared to be out here either, considering her clothes and Devil Fruit.

She nodded, and Marco was still thinking about the fear and caring he had noticed in her eyes when Ace wasn't breathing. It was gone, replaced with her usual confidence and determination as she made her way below deck. Marco sat there for a minute, watching as she shouldered Ace all the way, and he pondered if she felt anything for the other D.

"MARCO!" Kazane jerked him from his musings, and the 10th Division Vice-Commander approached him, tossing him another length of rope. "Go fish Namur out of the water!" she said, and went on her way again, and Marco was left to laugh lowly about her pun, whether she had noticed it or not.

He did so, and when the fishman was back on board, Marco finally noticed the waves starting to calm down, and the rain starting to become a light drizzle. '_Finally_," Marco thought, tired of this storm already. As soon as Kazane was satisfied with how it was going, she let quite a few people go below deck and change out of their sopping wet clothes, Marco included.

His purple shirt was sticking to his toned chest as he tramped down the stairs, and saw Rin walking towards him, looking over her shoulder. Marco took this time to look at her grey cotton shorts beginning to dry and the black tank top that was still clinging to her slim figure. Her oak-and-blonde hair was dark with moisture, and she finally turned and saw him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Marco found it strange that she would care if something was wrong, since she wasn't a member of the Whitebeards anyway, but he shrugged it off. "Things are starting to calm down outside; Kazane let a few people go. I'm tired of getting soaked," he said truthfully, and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you cold?" he asked, and she looked down, as though she hadn't realized what she was wearing until he pointed it out.

"Not really." she said, before turning around, towards the sleeping areas. "Just gonna go change." she said, and Marco watched as she waved over her shoulder before turning the corner, out of the first mate's sight.

He pondered her reactions today as he walked back to his room, and decided he would observe her for a bit longer before deciding whether she would do well on the Moby Dick.

**-Rin-**

After my encounter with Marco, I walked by a few more people on the way to my room. Once inside with the door locked securely, I quickly stripped, before realizing I didn't have anything to dry myself off with, and not wanting to put my wet clothes back on or get any of my dry clothes wet, I settled for the next best thing.

I didn't use my Devil's Fruit very often when I was with another pirate crew, but right now, it didn't look like anyone would bother me, especially since most of them were tired from the storm. I didn't need to focus anymore to transform; I had been doing it for so long, it was natural.

I began to shrink- head and body growing smaller as I began to stand on all fours, teeth growing longer and sharper in my mouth, and my nails turned into claws. A tail sprung from my behind and I felt complete once more.

I shook myself, causing water to fly around my room, as I settled onto the floor in a ball, resting my muzzle on my paws, before I closed my green eyes. Time for a little wolf-nap.

* * *

**End Notes: **There. Long chapter. 4,222 words. About twice the length of my usual chapters. Yes, I realize that I jumped around a lot, but you'll have to live with it. I also realize that originally, Asa was just another nurse, but I realized that the Moby Dick needed a doctor as well, most likely, two doctors, so I made Asa a much more serious character than I had originally, and she is one of the doctors.

Already started typing up next chapter. Thank you guys for bothering to read my junk. High school has gotten considerably easier, so that's hardly a problem anymore. I love you all, see ya next time! _~Kami-chwan_ ^-^


	9. A Message to the Readers

I would like to apologize sincerely to all the people who favorite, followed, or liked this story. I really am truly sorry, but this story is being dropped.

I hate to say it, but I have decided to give it up, after realizing that I will never update again. I can't stand it when it seems an author has vanished off the face of the earth and you never hear from them again- if they're not going to continue, I would prefer that they inform the readers.

Now, I can give a small explanation as to why this story is being dropped.

My love for anime and manga has mostly vanished. I haven't watched an episode of anything in almost a year, and I haven't read anything, not even One Piece (which I consistently kept up with since I was eleven) in almost six months.

And the thing is, I don't really find myself wanting to read or watch them anymore. My passions have moved onto live-action series. Supernatural, Doctor Who, Merlin, Star Trek 2009/Into Darkness, Avengers/Marvel, and Sherlock, specifically. I love them very much, and in comparison, anime bores me now. I suppose it's a part of growing up and moving on.

I'm seventeen now, about to start my senior year, and I am still a fangirl (my senior crown is going to be TARDIS themed, for Gallifrey's sake, and I'm going to be dashing about with my sonic screwdriver!) it's just real people now.

I'm about to start posting my Avengers fic, The Scarlet Shadow, and feel free to read it when it comes out.

Again, so sorry. I truly am. Please take care. -Rin (or as I prefer now, Roxanne Taylor)


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